This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Pneumococcal meningitis remains steady since Prevnar 13 introduction
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
According to recent research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the introduction of Prevnar 13 vaccine did not reduce cases of meningitis caused by invasive pneumococcal disease.
“After the introduction of [13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13)], the number of cases of pneumococcal meningitis per year remained unchanged among eight children’s hospitals,” Sheldon L. Kaplan, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “The proportion of pneumococcal meningitis cases due to PCV13 serotypes decreased … however, serotype 19A continued to be the most common serotype.”
Sheldon Kaplan
To study the effect since the introduction of Prevnar 13 (PCV13, Pfizer) for routine use in the United States, the researchers compared the epidemiology of pneumococcal meningitis cases at eight children’s hospitals. Data for patients aged 18 years or younger were gathered in 2007 — 3 years before the introduction of PCV13 — 2010 and 2013.
During the study period 1,207 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease occurred, including 173 cases of pneumococcal meningitis (PM). From 2007 to 2009 and 2011 to 2013, the proportion of PM cases among invasive pneumococcal disease increased by 50%, from 76 of 645 cases to 69 of 394 cases (P = .03). The researchers said the total number of cases of PM, however, remained statistically unchanged.
The introduction of PCV13 during the study period appeared to reduce cases of PM caused by PCV13 serotypes by 27% (P = .001). While declining from 27% since 2010, serotype 19A remained the most common isolate to cause PM (15%) during the period of 2011 to 2013.
“Overall, morbidity and [case-fatality rate] have not been significantly impacted by routine use of PCV13,” Kaplan and colleagues wrote. “Ongoing surveillance is warranted to continue to assess the impact of PCV13 on PM in children.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: Kaplan reports receiving a grant from Pfizer that partially supported the study. The other researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts